Teenager who cheated gym out of TWO PENCE hauled to court (costing taxpayers £1,200)

'Sledgehammer to crack a nut': Nathan Sparrow, 18, outside the gym he used in his two pence fraud that cost the taxpayer £1,200 to prosecute

A teenager who used his friend's gym membership to go for a workout defrauding a firm out of just two pence was prosecuted at a cost of £1,200 to the taxpayer.

Nathan Sparrow borrowed the PIN details to gain access to the gym for just one hour at an equivalent cost of two pence from the monthly membership fee of £15.99.

But when he arrived home from The Gym in Leicester he found two police officers waiting for him and was arrested and held overnight in cells before appearing in court.

The 18-year-old has since admitted a dishonesty charge and was handed a 12-month conditional and ordered to pay £185 costs in a case described by the Solicitor-General Edward Garnier QC as 'using a sledgehammer to crack a nut'.

Lucy Manning, prosecuting, told Leicester Magistrates Court how Sparrow
used his friend's access code to use The Gym in Leicester between 4.38pm
and 5.39pm on October 17.

She said the value of the one-day use of the facilities
equated to 53p as the 24-hour gym charges £15.99 for a month's membership.

Olwen Davies, defending, said he pleaded guilty but did not realise he
was breaking the law.

She said: 'His friend said he could use his membership and gave him the
pin number to gain access.'

It was puzzling that Sparrow's friend had
also not been charged and arrested, she said.

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Miss Davies added that the prosecution costs were £185, the defence bill
was £400 and the cost of court time and police case preparation pushed
costs up to around £1,200.

Judge David Meredith gave Sparrow a 12-month conditional discharge and
ordered him to pay £185 prosecution costs.

Mr Garnier, Conservative MP for Harborough advises parliament and the
Queen on the law as one of the most powerful legal experts in England
and Wales.

Hauled before the court: Sparrow was prosecuted at Leicester Magistrates Court

He said: 'On the face of it this does seem to be using a sledgehammer to
crack a nut but without knowing more about the background of the case
it would not be appropriate for me as the Solicitor-General and
therefore, Minister with Responsibility for the Crown Prosecution
Service to comment at the moment.

'I will take the matter up directly with the Chief Crown Prosecutor for
Leicester and get a report from him.'